


So a Big Shot and a Sharp Shot Met at a Cliff

by SourAppleFanfictions



Series: I Think I'll Live [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF, youtube - Fandom
Genre: Anxiety, Depression, Fake AH Crew, Funhaus - Freeform, Funhaus Crew, Gang Violence, Implied Geoff/Jack, M/M, Mavin, NSFW, Protective Michael Jones, Protective Ryan Haywood, Protectiveness, Rape Attempt, Raywood, Ryan doesn't hurt Ray don't worry, Sexual Content, Suicide Attempt, achievement hunter - Freeform, everybody is protective, expet!gavin, failed suicide attempt, happy lil family, pet gavin, pet!Gavin, rape attempts, ray is fragile, tags may change/added too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-08-30 18:06:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8543632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SourAppleFanfictions/pseuds/SourAppleFanfictions
Summary: So a hit man falls in love with a depressed Puerto Rican man after saving his life. And a rival gang is after the hit man all the while.
It isn't easy being a crime lord, so why bother with relationships? Ryan Haywood didn't want to fall in love, but hey, shit happens.
(Gavin is an ex pet who Michael, an orphan raised by Geoff and Jack, saved)





	1. Introduction/It's a Pleasure

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, so I wrote a septiplier thing that people liked, so I'll post this in the mean time. This was also sitting on my computer, and I just proof read it, so hey, enjoy I guess haha.

            Ryan "The Vagabond" Haywood was known amongst his comrades as being a cold-blooded murderer who took pride in his job. He would sometimes be heard laughing when he would kill someone, especially if he used his favorite hunting knife, making jokes about knifing people as if he were playing a video game.

            However, the Fake AH Crew enjoyed his company, face paint and all. He was funny, smart, and a blast to play video games with, even when he did odd things in the games (such as trapping a poor cow in Minecraft, which he affectionately named Edgar). He didn't drink either, so they weren't afraid of him going on some drunk rampage on them. He also understood boundaries and relationships to a T; and to Michael and Gavin, this meant a lot.

            A lot of people knew about Gavin Frees reputation of being a 'pet' of sorts for gang leaders. How he would flirt his way through the leaders to get what he wanted, and no one would pick up on it until it was way too late and they were in a shit ton of debt. Gavin was certainly attractive, and just so lovably delightful to be around, especially when he feigned air-headedness around people. The Brit, however, found himself on the run from both the police and many gangs who knew him; was he scared, not really. That was his weakness, he gets cocky when he isn’t caught. Parades his success around the underground, boasts his winnings online with several firewalls protecting him. But when he was caught by another gang and threatened to be sold out after being passed around the members like some sort of whore, he got scared.

            However, Lady Luck seemed to be smiling down at him; just as the first creep began unbuttoning his shirt while being cheered on for it, one of the men cheering her on was shot in the head, eliciting a scream from her and making the woman reflexively jump off Gav and run for cover. It turns out the gang had swindled Geoff out of a lot of money, and he took exception to that; and when Ramsey heard they were selling children, women, and men as sex slaves, he had decided to take action against them that day. Gav found himself in the middle of the cross fires, and if he learned anything from his previous days of being a birdy for people, it's that you always duck cover and make yourself as small as possible. He curled up in a ball, thunderous gunfire and shouts surrounding him as he was helplessly handcuffed to a support beam.

            Then suddenly, a young man in a brown leather jacket un-cuffed him and ran him outside. That man was Michael Jones, and Gavin never thought he'd ever feel love towards anyone, especially a loud-mouthed Jersey ginger, but life's just weird like that.

            Geoff took a liking to Gavin as well, becoming something like a father figure. Jack felt the same way as well (and officially became the ‘mom friend’). They knew who he was, and were weary of him, naturally. Keeping close eyes on their belongings and valuables; however, they were surprised when Gav only seemed to be interested in Michael.

            Jones reassured his friends that his wallet was still plenty full, and all his belongings were still intact, and Free didn’t try anything to get something from him. In fact, Gavin acted oddly coyly around him. Minding his ‘please’s and ‘thank you’s around him, and not even asking for much. Every time Michael got something for him, he’d blush furiously and almost shy away from him as he’d graciously take whatever was offered to him. And eventually, though it took all his courage, Michael asked Gavin out on a date. The two hit it off immediately after the first date, making them completely inseparable as the two spent the whole time talking and laughing with each other. All day and all night, just going on about nothing while smiling at each other.

            Eventually, Geoff decided their crew needed a new person to help with heists. Gavin proved to be trust worthy, and an excellent hacker, so Geoff opened a new position for the group. The slot was simply for a muscle man; they had plenty of excellent drivers, sharp shots, and brilliant minds, but lacked in the physical strength department. So, the position waited to be filled.

            The first guy was burly, level headed (so it seemed), and got along well with the crew. He stayed at the pent house while everything was being planned out. He helped out with the heists plans, cleaned up after himself, and pulled his weight just fine. Everything was good until he was introduced to Gavin.

            At first, they were just off-handed comments he told Michael like “He has a nice ass” and “You’re so lucky bro”. Michael and Gav complained to Geoff, and he told him to knock it off or lose the position. So, he stopped being open about it, and started stalking Gavin. But the brit was smarter than he let him believe, so he knew he was being stalked within a day. The guy flipped shit when Free told Geoff he was being stalked, and things escalated against Gavin’s favors quickly. The man who was twice his size in height and girth cornered him, and tried to make, well, aggressive advances towards him.

            All it took was one shot from Gavin’s gun and another from a raging Michael to get the man down.

            And it wasn't long after that incident, and few more inappropriate encounters with previous candidates, did Geoff introduce Ryan to the crew. Michael and Gavin, naturally did not welcome Ryan at all, and he understood why when Geoff told him why.

            But Ryan proved to be, genuinely, a good guy when you got to know him, and it always bewildered his friends how he was still single. However, Ryan knew the answer to that, he just didn't feel like having a girlfriend or a boyfriend, especially now that he's a professional thief/hitman.

 He knew how scared Michael and Gavin were for each other whenever a heist would go on, even when they weren't physically showing their concern, he knew they were. He was always good at reading people, making him one hell of a challenge at poker games.

            But either way, it didn't matter to him. He was the infamous Vagabond of Los Santos, and he felt that no one would really want to date someone of that title.

\---

            It was a lazy Saturday night, and Ryan was indulging in a Diet Coke and was sitting on his living room couch, dozing off whilst watching Netflix. He wasn't even sure what he was watching, some odd B movie he found, but he ignored all the bad acting and the contrived story completely, too tired to really laugh about it. He had just pulled off a pretty big heist just a day ago, and was pretty well set for the time being, and he felt pretty content. His eyes shut as the movie credits rolled, but immediately snapped them open when his emergency number for Michael rang, replacing the comfortable white noise.

            He answered in a haste, "Michael, what's wrong," He asked quickly, hearing a wheezing sound along with crying.

            "R-Ryan," Michael’s wavering voice chocked out, "Another gang, I-I don't know who, but, oh my god," he started sobbing, something Haywood never thought that he would hear Michael "Rage Quite" Jones do.

            "Michael, calm down, what happened," he asked sternly yet gently.

            "G-Gavin got jumped in our house while I was gone, he's hurt really bad, w-we killed the guy, but-"

            What sounded like a hurt and exhausted Gavin choked out, "Michael, it's okay, please don't cry,”

            "Oh my God, Gavin no, don't talk stupid you're hurt!" Michael sobbed out.

            From there, Ryan dropped the call, slipped on some black clothes along with a high-zip up jacket, grabbed a gun, and ran out of his front door.

            He rushed down the high way straight to Michael and Gavin's place, a lovey beach house where Ryan held many fond memories.

            When he got there, he zipped his jacket all the way up to cover his nose down to his chin. He opened the door to see a bruised and bloodied Gavin being held by a crying Michael who was fighting with a disgruntled Geoff who was trying to pry him from his bleeding lover, and of course a focused Jack trying to patch up Gavin without poking at Michael.

            "Michael, move out of the way for Jack," Ryan ordered softly, announcing his arrival.

            Michael looked up at him, loosening his grip on Gavin, who was holding onto his sleeve for comfort. Geoff took this opportunity to move his arms, but made sure Gavin could still make contact with him, Geoff rubbed soothing circles into the back of a weakly breathing Michael whilst the lads moved to hold hands.

            Ryan looked at Geoff, "Where's the body at," he asked softly as to not further upset Michael. Geoff turned his head, gesturing to the living room beyond the entry way.

            Haywood merely nodded and proceeded to check the scene. He entered the usually cluttered, yet clean looking, living room to see blood splatters everywhere, unsure of how much of it was Gavin’s and how much of it belonged to the cadaver on the ground. He got a closer look at the young man who appeared to be stabbed in the kidney and shot in the head.

            He didn't appear to have any specific colors to him, so Ryan checked for tattoos or any other body modifications that would hint to another gang. There he found an odd symbol with the word FunHaus under it on his back. Ryan frowned, Michael was right about him being sent by a gang. And now Ryan knew which one.

            Ryan returned to his four friends who were still gathered around a now patched up Gavin. Michael still cried as a weak Gavin still attempted to gently comfort him by holding his hand and letting him gently rest his head on his shoulder.

            "Michael, Gavin," Geoff said, getting everyone's attention, "You two aren't safe here, we're going to move you two to a safe house." He said plainly, but with a gentlness, "Don't worry about any heists, you two will be replaced until further notice."

            Michael merely nodded in response, eyes red and swollen while brushing his fingers through Gavin's hair, not even looking at Ramsey. Geoff’s heart broke at that, he hasn’t seen Michael and Gavin so emotionally and physically drained since the day he met both of them. Michael, the abandoned orphan boy, whom a young-adult Geoff took in despite not having the best financial situation, was back to being a crying heap on the floor.

            "Michael, no, you don't have to stay around with me," Free protested, looking up at Jones tiredly. His British accent was thicker than usual, too exhausted to filter it out.

            "Yes I am Gav!" He retaliated, "You're going to need a few days to heal, what if you need something, what if they- what if they come ba-" Michael scared himself, so he stopped talking, tears forming in his eyes again.

            Gavin made an apologetic face and whispered a brief apology to him as he hushed him. The others decided that they should give the two some privacy, so after looking at one another, the other three moved to the living room.

            "I-I thought I was going to lose you, Gavin," Michael gently sobbed, letting some of his tears spill out again.

            "Shhh," Free hushed, trying to sit up to hold his boi (but sadly, he found himself too weak to do so), "Come here Michael, it's okay, I'm alive and I'm feeling better already." he added tiredly, going back to holding Jones' hand.

            "I love you so much, Gavin," Michael choked, timidly lifting Gav up and wrapping his arms around him.

            "I love you more, Micool," Gav said with a smile, wrapping his wobbling arms around Jones' shoulders. He turned his head slightly and gave his dearest a kiss on the cheek before continuing a mantra of reassurance with him.

            Meanwhile in their living room hallway, their comrades were discussing what happened and what to do next.

            "So," Jack started, "What did you find on the punk over there?" he gestured to the body.

            "I found out our old friends at Funhaus sent him." Ryan answered coldly.

            "What, the same people who we made a treaty with?!" Geoff commented, rage building in him.

            "Unfortunately." Ryan deadpanned.

            Jack and Geoff looked speechless and livid as they looked back over to the dead body.

            "Well, with Michael and Gavin out for a while, what are we gonna do Boss Man?" Jack added, looking back at Ramsey.

            "Gavin was our hacker, I can call in our old friend Meg to replace him for now, but we'll need someone with a good aim to replace Michael." Geoff replied.

            "I'll handle that don't worry," Ryan interjected, making a mental list of who to call if he couldn't match Michael’s aim.

            "Alright then, let's clean up and get Gav and Michael out of here then." Geoff said, heading to the kitchen to pick up some wash rags and cleaning supplies.

\--------

            It was a day after the incident with Gavin and Michael, and Ryan was already preparing to call up some favors from people. Meanwhile, Geoff was planning on a counter strike while Jack continued to plan heists with old friends of their gang (nothing too big though, just gas station robberies and such).

             That day proved to be rather stressful for everyone, and especially for Ryan. So naturally, he was in no mood for anything at the moment. With having to deal with unruly dealers, to having to deal with the problem of distributing the money they made so that they won't go bankrupt while Gav and Michael were out; to say Ryan was annoyed was an understatement.

            Ryan decided to leave early that day and take a nice walk down his city. It was purely for therapeutic reasons, but he brought a gun and his trusty hunting knife just in case he got antsy or if someone else got antsy with him. It was actually sunset when he left, he usually got home late at night and showed up at noon the next day, but not today.

            He enjoyed watching the sunset over the beach, so he decided to drop by there to sit down and relax. He had a jacket much like the one he wore the night prior, so he kept it zipped up just in case he ran into anyone important.

            When he got there, he was surprised to see it was rather vacant, but knowing how the weather was starting to get colder (along with the water), it didn't really throw him off. However, that wasn't where he wanted to watch, he wanted to go up to a cliff near-by and sit on the ledge as he usually did. However, when he looked up at the cliff, he noticed a skinny looking figure looking down into the thrashing waters below.

            'A jumper,' Ryan thought plainly, he's seen them plenty before, and considered just continuing on. It was none of his business, and besides, what can some random stranger do for someone like that? He didn't know the jumper's struggles or his life, so what good would he be? 'Rest in peace stranger,' he thought as he continued walking.

            But something stopped him, he didn't know what, but there was something more troubling about the person on the cliff. Like how the closer he got to the jumper, the younger they looked. Ryan could also tell from the hesitation and body language that the kid was asking for help.

            'So you waited until it was cold enough for people to leave so that you wouldn't stop yourself, clever.' Ryan thought more softly, starting to pity the guy.

            He noticed he was wearing a black t-shirt with a pair of loose and dirty looking jeans. His physique was petite and lean, probably hasn't eaten in a while. Ryan found himself stopping as he was at the rocky base of the large cliff. He tried to look away, he tried to keep walking, but couldn't find it in himself.

            His thoughts suddenly stopped as the kid leapt from the cliffs top silently and crashed into the rocky and freezing waters below.

            "Oh fuck me," Ryan swore as he looked around before removing his jacket and running and  diving in after the kid.

            He swam downwards in the freezing abys, following a trail of ever shrinking bubbles. His eyes eventually adjusted enough to see the thin frame of the boy just three feet away from him, so he swam faster and made it to the kid in no time. He grabbed the guy by the collar, pulling him closer to his body and wrapping an arm around him as he swam back to the shore.

            When he got back up to the sandy shores, he laid the kid down on the ground and listened closely for a breath. There was a rhythm to him, but it was very weak, so Ryan flipped the boy over, put his arm around the kid's stomach, and began smacking the kids back as hard as he could. He only remembered how to perform this on babies, so hopefully it worked. Besides, considering the size difference, he could crush this kid under his thumb, so he definitely didn’t want to try and do chest compressions.

            Then, suddenly, the kid started hacking up pools of salty water and gasping for air. He continued regurgitating the water for another few moments before going slightly limp in Ryan's arms from exhaustion.

            Ryan gave a few more gentle pats to the guys back before turning him over again to check his breathing. His breaths were full, albeit some of them were followed by some weak coughs. Rye noticed the young man was shivering, so he looked around for his recently discarded jacket.

            He found it caught on a sharp rock about five feet away. Not wanting to leave the kid on the beach, he lifted the kid up bridal style and carried him over to the jacket.

            Haywood set the young man down, propped up against a rock as he proceeded to wrap him in the jacket that was at least two-three sizes larger than him. It was then when the kid started squirming, fluttering his eyes open to see Ryan standing there, remaining face paint now practically gone.

            His vision was blurry and his eyes stung from the remaining salt water in them, but a few blinks and rubs later, he could make Ryan's face out.

            "Please tell me I'm dead and you aren't someone who saved me." The kid's voice was hushed and gravely, throat sore from hacking up the salty liquid in his lungs.

            Ryan exhaled through his nose, "Hate to say it kid, but you're alive," he said in an almost sarcastic tone, not really appreciating the guys lack of gratitude.

            The mystery man groaned, "Why did you do that, you don't even know me," he weakly argued, still coughing.

            "Listen kid, you're right about that, but you're a little young to be jumping already, don't you think?" Ryan retorted, trying his hardest not to be too loud with him.

            "I'm 23, living in a shit apartment, and just lost my job, I was just speeding things along," The guy replied quietly, looking away from Ryan.

            Odd, Ryan could have sworn the guy was a teen; but again, he seemed malnourished. So, looking small and sick was expected really. Haywood felt for the kid, honestly; he suffered a lot like him back in his youth, and he admittedly had tried to kill himself several times to just escape the pain.

            "Alright kid, listen, I know shit's fucked right now, but believe me," Ryan took a deep breath, "If you kill yourself now, you'll never get a second chance. That's a permanent solution to temporary problems."

            The guy frowned, refusing to look at Ryan at all, seemingly ashamed. Maybe even hiding tears away.

            "But, listen," Ryan gently turned the kid's head to face him, using his sleeve to dry the guys face gently, "Don't feel ashamed, okay, it's completely normal to feel helpless in your situation. But, just wade it out, you'll thank yourself later, I know I did." Haywood admitted. He never told anyone about his troubled years, he felt it would soften his image a little too much, but hey, this kid doesn't even know who he-

            "What's up with the face paint anyway,"

            Shit, "Wait, what,"

            "You were wearing face-paint, but it uh, washed off,"

            Oh _shit_ , "Oh fuck, you weren't supposed to see my face," Ryan said in a soft voice.

            "What, why," the kid asked, furrowing his brow as he watched Ryan slowly and subtly start to destress.

            Ryan didn't know what to do, so he did the first thing that came to mind: knock the kid out. Not wanting to physically hurt him, he grabbed the kid's nerve in his neck and pinched it enough to make him pass out before he could ask what he was doing.

            "Shit, sorry kid," He said quietly as he reached into his jacket's pocket to dial a ride for him. After calling the driver in, he lifted the young man up and went back up to the cliff where he jumped where he knew he'd find the guy's belongings.

            On the cliff, he found a purple hoodie with greying checkered Vans along with a pair of thick framed rectangular glasses. He picked up all of the young man's belongings and made his way to a bench on the outskirts of the beach and waited for the driver with the young man safely in his lap.

            He took this opportunity to give him a once over, and he was _very_ attractive. He seemed to be of Hispanic descent, having a nice brown tint to his skin. His hair was black and still damp, but it looked soft to the touch. His face was framed by black stubble that peppered upward, surrounding his lip. His chin was sharp, but he had a boyish look to him, having an angular jaw with rounded cheeks. And, to top everything off, his eyelashes were impressively long, still sticking together from the water. Haywood, blushing at the cheesiness of the thought, imagined this kid had to be a cherub.

            Ryan was pulled from his thoughts as a car with a familiar, disconsolate and tinted windows pulled up in front of him.

\---

            Ryan had set the young man down in a guest bedroom in his house. He placed his belongings on the night stand to his right. However, he took the kid's phone just in case and smashed it before tossing it out in his garbage. Ryan soon returned, he decided to wait for him to wake up so that he could explain everything.

            The young man lay still in the bed, his chest rising and dropping with every breath he took. His hair was naturally dried by now, leaving it brushing over his forehead and, to Ryan’s amusement, curling at every end.

            Ryan continued to admire the attractive Hispanic man, trying not to be too creepy about it. He was sure the young man would have a plethora of questions already once he awoke, so there was no need to make him panic any more than he was bound to be. But really, he couldn't help but stare, he felt as though he's never seen anyone quite as attractive as the lad before. Perhaps that was true, most of the kids his age (that Ryan had seen anyway) were either cracked out, whoring themselves around, or both; so perhaps it was the innocence on the kid's face that attracted him.

            He was pulled from his thoughts as the kid's face slightly tensed and he squirmed under the covers, fighting himself awake. Ryan immediately composed himself as he watched the young man sit up and rub his head. The Hispanic man checked his surroundings and jumped out of his skin as his eyes landed on Haywood.

            Ryan lifted his hands up submissively, "Relax kid, you're safe." he reassured.

            "What- who are you," The kid asked exhausted yet panicked, not really realizing he wasn't in his snotty apartment. "Wait, did-did you kidnap me!?"

            "Calm down kid, you won't get hurt as long as you follow my rules, okay?" Ryan said calmly, handing the guy his glasses gently as to contrast his serious tone.

            The kid shut up, attentive as he graciously, yet silently, took his glasses back and placed them over his eyes. Hoping to whatever god was listening that he wouldn't be forced into prostitution, or anything too extreme would become of him.

            "Relax, I'm not going to force you into sex slavery or anything," Ryan reassured before continuing, "Listen, you weren't supposed to see my face, hell you probably shouldn't have even heard my voice." he admitted, breathing out of his nose and looking down slightly, acknowledging that was his fault. "But listen, don't freak out, but you know that one criminal, a part of the Fake AH Crew of Los Santos gang, named Vagabond?"

            The kid's heart visibly dropped as he slowly realized, he shook slightly and was about to say something before being cut off again.

            "Calm down Kid, I'm not gonna bite ya or anything," Haywood promised, "And I'd feel bad for killing you at this point, you did nothing against me. So here are the rules you have to follow from now on, so if I were you, I’d listen closely."

            He nodded obediently, sitting up straight in the bed and watching Ryan speak to him.

            "First, no leaving the house without me, however, I'll change it if you gain my trust. Second, no using the phone unless it's under my supervision. And three, if you try anything funny, like get anyone's unnecessary attention, or hinting at who I am or what I look like," Ryan gave a serious expression and leaned forward, "I'll be forced to kill you; understand?"

            The kid didn't say a word, but he looked as if he was ready to cry. Haywood didn't show it, but he felt terrible; he usually loved how people were intimidated by him, but the cowering kid made him feel awful about everything he said.

            "Jesus," Ryan sighed quietly, looking away, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you panic." He apologized.

            That didn't stop the other man however, he let the tears slip in fear. Haywood bit his lip at the sight, he could tell how frightened the kid was.

            Wanting to make up for scaring him, Ryan gently took the lean Latino's hand and sat next to him in an attempt to pacify him. He didn't have his usual intimidating posture, he just casually looked away from him, slouched over comfortably. The young man took the hint and actually squeezed Ryan's hand, accepting the comfort and trying to calm down.

            "So, the name's Ryan if you haven't already heard, what's yours, kid?" Haywood inserted, gently looking down at the guy.

            "U-um, Ray," He responded between sniffs, breathing beginning to stabilize again.

            Ryan offered a soft smile, "It's nice to meet you, Ray,"


	2. Observational

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait!!! Finals, family, and the holidays in general kicked my ass pretty good haha! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this long ass chapter (8 pages o' pain).

            It had already been a week since Ryan had 'invited' Ray to live in his home with him. He had informed the others of his predicament, and Geoff gave him the go-ahead to strictly work from home. From there, he would observe the young man’s behavior and patterns. He was skittish, shy, yet emotionless at the same time. Haywood figured it was because of Ray’s depression and the situation he was in. Ryan also noticed how, even though Ray only lived in the home for about a week, he seemed to know a lot about the layout of Haywood's home pretty well. Which astounded and concerned him.

            Ryan's house wasn't a large mansion, but was very sizeable (especially compared to a "shitty apartment"). He was surprised at how observant Ray was, and how he remembered such specific things. Like how Ryan's floral printed lavender dinner plates were on the far-right corner of the top shelf of the last cupboard to the left of the kitchen. Or where Ryan specifically puts down the remote to the television whenever Haywood seems to lose it. He remembered where each room was, and which rooms he was forbidden from (and naturally, avoided them like the plague).

            The kid had an eye for detail and scouting it seemed, and Ryan couldn't help but wonder how good he was with a gun. Perhaps that could be because of his occupation, and also the stress of helping Geoff find a new gunman in Michael’s absence. Besides, for a nervous person, Ray has surprisingly steady hands and shoulders. The worst he does is rock on his feet and look down, but he usually only did that when he was bored.

            He was in front of Ray’s door, ready to knock. He knew he had to be careful not to shake the young man any further than he already has. That meant no face paint, weapons, or his usual 'Vagabond' behavior around him. It wasn’t that big of a feet, besides the lack of face pain and weapons. Even his crew never saw his face properly; Ray, so far, is the only one who has, and lived.

            He knocked lightly on his “guests” door, but loud enough to be heard, "Ray, can I come in for a moment," Ryan asked gently, waiting for a response.

            There was a pause before a hesitant agreement was heard behind the door. Ryan slowly opened the door and let himself into the room where Ray decided to make into his bedroom. Ray was sat on the bed, intently staring up at Ryan, ignoring the game he was playing on his 3DS; Haywood took a glance at the screen and took note at how high his score was before the character on the screen died, it was rather impressive.

            Ray spoke up, pulling Ryan from his thoughts, "Um, c-can I help you," he asked sheepishly.

            "Oh, no, I was just wondering something," Ryan said, throwing on a polite smile, "You said you lost your job, right?"

            The younger man gave him a look, knowing what he was getting at, "Listen, I've been in trouble with the law here before, I don't need any more dents on my reputation."

            Ryan's smile widened a little, " _You_ of all people had a problem with the police?"

            Ray bit his lower lip, looking away, "Yeah, just marijuana dealing and petty theft mostly, but," he trailed off, almost not wanting to continue.

            Haywood's interest piqued, he never really got to know the young man, since he kept to himself. He wanted to know more about him, he couldn't really tell why, but he was just so intrigued by Ray.

            "'But', what,~" He pressed, casually leaning against the door. He kept his smile plastered on his face, looking genuinely intrigued.

            "I may have shot a few cops in my day, didn’t kill no one, but left a few in wheelchairs." Ray admitted, shutting his 3Ds to focus on the conversation.

            "Close range or long distance?"

            "Both, mostly from long distance though, I guess."

            “So, how long ago was this,”

            “Hm, maybe like, a year ago; I quite when I almost got caught, so I just got a job in retail.”

            Haywood nodded, "Well, I just wanted to know if you were up to going down to a shooting range?"

            Ray blinked, "I'm sorry?"

            "Well, I feel bad for cooping you up in here, and I would like to get to know you better, so, you know," Ryan rambled, trying his best not to sound like a love-sick teenager.

            Ray considered how long it had been since the last time he actually went outside, "Um, well I guess, it wouldn't hurt, would it?" he agreed timidly, getting up slowly.

            Ryan felt his smile unintentionally grow as he replied with a 'great' and lead Ray to his car, still keeping an eye on him. Haywood wasn't going to risk anything with the guy.

The car ride had no hitches, Ray mostly just looked out the window, slouching in his seat, not knowing what to do with his hands. He bit his lip nervously as he struggled to keep his hands still, trying his hardest not to fidget or twiddle his fingers. At the first stop light, Ray opted to just sit on his hands, it was easier to ignore it that way.

Ryan picked that up, but didn’t press the issue, just figuring Ray was trying to drop the habit of fidgeting. Besides, Ray probably didn’t want to talk. Suddenly, the younger began to look tense.

“Ray, everything alright,” Ryan poked, turning his head to look at him better.

“That guy by the sign up there is staring at you strange.” Ray informed.

Ryan looked out the window to see a man who looked a bit older than Ray glancing back and forth at his phone and Rye’s car. He was almost acting irradicably. His clothes were ratty and he looked unkempt.

“Don’t worry, he looks like any other crack head around these parts.” Ryan nonchalantly stated realizing the light had turned green and continuing to drive.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to act paranoid, I haven’t really been to the center of the city before.” Ray apologized, refusing to make eye contact.

“Hey, don’t worry about it, I’d be worried too if some guy was looking at me like that.” Ryan reassured, focusing on the road, “So why haven’t you been out here before? Time issues?”

“Well, yeah, that and my bus pass can only take me so far, y’know.”

“Have you ever wanted to see the center? It’s a bit more polished than the rest of the city, and it has some nice hang out areas if you ever want to- ah, sorry, I’m rambling” Haywood caught himself gracelessly, clearing his throat and thought about how pushy he must sound, _to his hostage._

Ray only looked at him and responded, “Well, maybe. I always was cozy in city areas.” He said softly, trying not to make things anymore awkward.

Rye smiled softly and hummed, maybe they should get out more. Fresh air (or however fresh the air in Los Santos can be) would be good for Ray.

\--

            Later, at the shooting range, Ryan had special arrangements for Ray to have his own place to shoot at. The Hispanic was given a BB gun with rubber pellets, literally the gun you give the kids, for safe measure. The targets he was given were set up a good distance in front of him before he took aim.

            Only a short second later, Ryan heard a dulled, yet slightly loud _POP_ ring through the air. He looked in the target set up only a moment ago for Ray to shoot at, and swore he saw a small hole right in the middle of the silhouette’s forehead. He was about to say something when he heard another round of popping noises from Ray's gun. This went on until it was empty.

            After pulling the trigger another few times with nothing but an empty snapping noise coming out of it, Ray announced he was out and began pulling his target back. When it returned to the counter he and Ryan were placed at, Haywood took note of one thing. Nothing but head shots.

            "Impressive," Ryan said with raised eyebrows.

            "Uh, thanks," Ray thanked sheepishly, setting the gun down and taking the mufflers he was given off, "I shot a lot as a kid, especially for self-defense." he admitted.

            "Oh, where did you grow up?"

            "In New York, in the particularly seedy areas, y'know, the ghettos and shit." Ray replied almost nonchalantly, "Jesus, mom hated living there," he said under his breath with a huff of discontent.

            "Oh; then why didn't you two move?"

             "Ma grew up and met my dad there, besides we didn't exactly have any money, so we stayed there for a while."

            "Oh," Suddenly Ryan seemed more tense, why didn't he think of his family-

            "If you hadn't thrown my phone, it would be pretty useless anyway, I don't have any close family or friends." he added, not making eye contact as he changed the targets.

            Ryan blinked, "'And what do you mean by that?" he asked cautiously.

            "Well, when you come out as anything but straight to a catholic family, you just kind of become, jeez, I don't know, a heathen of sorts, I guess." He admitted somewhat quietly. "It's kind of funny how they tell you how much you mean to them, but then you say 'hey guys, so, I'm into dudes' do they start looking at you like you're broken or crazy, or something like that."

            Ray's words seemed heavy, yet he spoke about it like it was no big deal. Ryan gave a small pitiful look to him, understanding what he was going through.

            "Funny, I always thought that it would have been easier if I grew up in the north," he murmured to himself.

            The younger man looked over at him, "What was that," he poked, looking at Ryan's direction, but not directly at him.

            "Oh, well, I kind of fancy the company of men and women, if you know what I mean." He admitted with a shrug of the shoulders, "To add, I grew up in Georgia, which didn't help my situation at all." He didn't really care at this point, it's not like he would be less feared if he were, besides, they live in a fairly progressive era anyway.

            "Oh," Ray said quietly with a blink of his eyes, then turning to send his next target out for another round. He wasn't sure how long this freedom would last, so he thought he should milk it for everything it had, “Sorry to hear that,” He added quietly.

            Ryan only smiled as he watched Ray aim for the target.

\---

            _POP POP POP_

            _Click, Click_

            "Out," Ray said dryly, pulling his target back in again.

            As the young Hispanic changed the silhouette, there was a deafening silence between the two. Ryan was stuck looking at Ray, admiring how graceful yet stiffly he moved, like he was trying to look relaxed. He watched how his eyes crinkled slightly in concentration as he changed the targets, how his eyebrows didn't scrunch, but looked neutral.

            "You said you don't have a job right," Ryan poked, getting Ray's attention.

            "Um, yeah," He responded, hushed, not really focusing on what the Vagabond was saying.

            "Well, considering how akin you are with a gun, and you're no stranger to violence, how about I give you a job?" Haywood suggested with a friendly face.

            That got Ray's attention. He turned his head, already knowing what Ryan was getting at. He had the gull to look up at the painted face of the Vagabond, his face displayed a charming smile, but he was obviously serious,

            "Um, listen, Vagabond, I don't think I want to get back into that sort of thing.”

            “Why not?”

            “It’s hard enough to find a job, I don’t need any more dents in my reputation than I already have.”

            “Then why not just take this job? It’ll be a lot easier than job hopping.”

            Ray tensed at how head strong Ryan was being, “I appreciate the offer, really I do, but I’m not going to be forced into that kind of life again.” He said sternly, but quietly

            Ryan was surprised by the sternness of Ray’s voice. He hasn’t tried to argue with him since he ‘moved in’ with him. He wasn’t sure how to respond, he didn’t want to show his subtle frustrations, but he also didn’t want to let this once-in-a-life-time chance slip from him. Exhaling through his nose, Haywood realized the only way to persuade him was to be honest with him.

            “Look, Ray, I feel bad for you.” He said before he could change his mind, “You told me about how you’re jobless and live alone.” He added, stopping himself.

            Ray didn’t know what to reply with, so he kept his mouth shut, then he realized, “Why _did_ you save me,” He said in a hushed voice, looking away.

            Ryan huffed, “I- felt bad for you, I guess, but it was different somehow.” He said, noticing the look on Rays face, “I’ve seen people bite it before. Either they do it themselves, someone else does it for them, or I do it. But when I saw you, I felt something, like, remorse.” He blurted.

            Ray bit his lips and looked down, “Why me, though,”

            “I don’t know,” Ryan admitted, “I just- I guess, I see me in you,”

            Silence fell between the two. Ray biting the insides of his cheeks. He looked like he wanted to say something.

            “Ryan, are you- do you mean that?” Ray poked, “Like, you’re not just saying that to make me feel better, right?”

            “Of course I meant it,” Ryan responded softly, “Ray, I want to help-“

            “What a sight,” Came a voice the Vagabond begrudgingly knew too well, “Never thought you’d be into younger men Rye!”

            “What do you want, Spoole,” Ryan spat, turning his head to face the man and moving in front of Ray. This was a shitty end to a pretty good day it seems.


End file.
